Dharamsala pitch received widespread acclaim from both camps, but HPCA chief curator Sunil Chauhan revealed no one came up to him or called to compliment him for his efforts
India's KL Rahul plays a sweep shot during Day Four of the fourth Test against Australia in Dharamsala yesterday. Pic/AFP
Dharamsala: Surface tension has always been a crucial aspect of Test cricket and this high octane India vs Australia series has been no different.
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If the first Test at Pune saw a pathetic playing surface, the second in Bangalore was declared 'below average' by the International Cricket Council (ICC), while the third strip in Ranchi turned out to be a slow track which led to a drawn result.
Splendid effort
However, the best, it seemed, was saved for last, as a splendid pitch was dished out at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium here for the fourth and final series-decider between India and Australia which India won by eight wickets on Day Four yesterday.
The true track offered pace and bounce to pacers, just the right turn for tweakers and didn't particularly trouble batsmen who were willing to stay out there for long. It received widespread acclaim from both camps and the television commentators as well. But HPCA chief curator Sunil Chauhan, who did a fine job, revealed that no one came up to him or called to compliment him for his efforts. "I'm hearing that everyone has liked the pitch, but no one has bothered to call me to say thank you. It's my job to prepare a good, fair wicket and I will continue to do so, but I just felt a small 'thank you' would have been a kind gesture from the Indian team,"Chauhan told mid-day.
That said, Chauhan was not completely satisfied with the 22-yard strip. "I thought it could have offered maybe 10 to 20 per cent more seam movement. But the bounce was good and the turn was okay so I'm happy that a good, competitive Test match was played. This was our first Test at HPCA, so the pressure was on me to deliver a good, true wicket and I'm glad I could live up to expectations," he said.
BCCI chief curator Daljit Singh, who in his own words, felt he was "roasted on a charcoal fire" after Pune and Bangalore, was a happy man yesterday. "It was the perfect pill," said Daljit, going on to explain the uniqueness of the soil that went into making the Dharamsala pitch.
Sunil Chauhan
Just like Mohali
"The soil that was used to make this pitch is from a village in Ludhiana. Even for the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali, we used to source the same mud and that's why our track has also traditionally offered good bounce and carry. However, in the last few years, the villagers have stopped giving us their soil as it has been affecting their fields.
"So, PCA is unable to source this soil anymore. However, HPCA has smartly collected a lot of stock and stored it in a hangar at one of their grounds, so they still have stock. But from next season, they too will have to start looking at another mud source," Daljit said.
The firm nature of the mud is what characterises it to be a perfect fit for a cricket pitch, says Daljit. "I've been in Dharamsala since five days before the Test, working closely with local curator Chauhan, who has done a great job.
Fertile soil
"Since, the mud comes from the bank of a canal, it is very fertile, settles in well and stays firm so the surface of the pitch does not deteriorate as a match progresses. That's the reason, not only did the pacers extract some big bounce, but even spinners had the ball jumping up to their liking. It's an ideal five-day track that ensured both, the best team and Test cricket won in the end," added Daljit.
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